Obama Enlists Help From Hollywood To Promote Health Care Overhaul

HOLLYWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 5: The newly refurbished Hollywood Sign is seen atop of Mt. Lee after Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa added a finishing touch of paint to complete the project on December 5, 2005 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)

Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images

As Congress is in the middle of a high-stakes battle over the Affordable Care Act that could end with a government shutdown, some in Hollywood are trying to figure out how to make sure that President Obama’s signature piece of legislation is a success. The White House has held a series of meetings with artists and entertainers asking for help, particularly to figure out how they could assist in getting the critical 18-to-35-year-old demographic to enroll in the new health insurance marketplace, reports the Los Angeles Times. Funny or Die, for example, is developing as many as 20 projects involving the law.

The administration is hoping this helping hand from Hollywood will help counterbalance the powerful conservative groups that are spending millions in campaigns to convince Americans they should opt out of the law.

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President Obama took up the issue again Saturday, telling Americans during his weekly address that Republicans seem to be willing to push the United States into a recession as long as it helps them stop the health care overhaul. “A faction on the far right of the Republican party who’ve convinced their leadership to threaten a government shutdown if they can’t shut off the Affordable Care Act. Some are actually willing to plunge America into default if they can’t defund the Affordable Care Act,” Obama said. “Think about that. They’d actually plunge this country back into recession—all to deny the basic security of health care to millions of Americans.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press takes a look at how different visions over what should be done with the health care law is dividing the list of potential 2016 Republican contenders. While some, like Sen. Ted Cruz, insist on fighting “with every breath” to stop the law, others warn that is a risky stance that will only end up hurting Republicans in the long-run.

Daniel Politi has been contributing to Slate since 2004 and wrote the Today’s Papers column from 2006 to 2009. Follow him on Twitter.